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One of the most common and frustrating problems when you're quilting is having your thread break. There are so many reasons this can happen, and I run into a lot of them with my students. So, in this series of posts I'm talking about the problems and solutions I encounter.
There are two ways that thread can pull off a spool or a cone: pulling from the side and pulling from the top. Thread pulled from the side of a spool stays flat which prevents kinking. Thread pulled off the end of a spool -- particularly monofilament threads and metallic threads -- can twist, causing kinks. These kinks build up in front of the eye of the needle and when they get large enough to prevent the kink from passing through the needle, the thread breaks. Correcting the direction that your thread is coming off the spool or cone will likely prevent the kinks and fix the problem.
How do you know if kinks are causing your thread breaks? Your thread is breaking directly in front of the needle. This is because the kinks pile up there until they are too large to pass through the eye.
Let's look at the situation a little more closely.
If the thread pulls from the side, it turns the spool and the thread stays flat so it doesn't twist or kink.
If the thread pulls from the top, the thread twists as it comes off the top of the spool or cone.
So why wouldn't you pull the thread off the side of the spool all the time?
In the case of cones, they are often large and heavy. To try to spin a cone, the weight would put too much tension on the thread. That would mess with the tension of your stitches AND would likely cause the thread to break. So, when using thread on cones we use a thread tower to pull the thread up off the cone while the cone remains stationary. Thread on cones is manufactured and wound to accommodate this twist without twisting the thread so much that it would kink.
In contrast, a small, lightweight spool can sit on a vertical thread spindle so it can unwind horizontally. Since the spool is light, the weight of the spool should not impact the spin of the spool or the tension of the thread.
Some sewing machines are designed so that even if you are using a spool, the spool sits on a horizontal spool thimble, and that causes the thread to come off the end of the spool, causing a twist. If the twist goes in the right direction, it probably won't cause a kink.
But, pulling the thread off the wrong end of the spool can create kinks and lead to breaks. Why? Since thread is a twisted strand, pulling it off the correct end of the spool will twist it in the same direction that it is manufactured, which probably won't cause kinks. But, pulling it off the other end of the spool will twist it against the direction it is manufactured, and that can cause kinks.
(I once had a student in a class who was having all kinds of problems with his thread breaking. He was using his wife's machine, so finally he called her to come in and take a look at it. She immediately identified the problem: the spool of thread was sitting horizontally, so the thread was coming off the end of the spool. But the spool was on the spindle in the wrong direction, so the thread was twisting in the wrong direction. As soon as she flipped the spool around so that the thread came off in the right direction, the thread breaking problem stopped.)
If the top and the bottom of the spool are the same, it might be hard to tell which end you should pull the thread from. I have seen sewing machines with a horizontal thread spindle that have an arrow showing which direction the thread needs to come off the spool when it is placed on the spindle. If yours doesn't have that, it might be helpful to experiment and find out if one direction works better than the other. Then mark your sewing machine to indicate which is the correct thread direction.
Some thread manufacturers help you know which way the thread should pull off the spool by making it 100% clear which is the bottom and which is the top of the spool. Aurifil uses small cones that fit on a horizontal thread spindle, but that have a solid base and an open top. Put the cone on a horizontal spindle with the base facing away from the needle so the thread feeds off the open top.
Monofilament and metallic threads are paricularly prone to kinking, so for best results, they need to feed flat into the sewing machine. Either use them on a vertical spindle, or use a tower that holds them horizontally, such as the Thread Director or Thread Director 2.
Another way to help prevent thread breaks due to kinking is to use a needle with a larger eye, such as a top-stitching needle. A larger eye will allow a kink to pass through before it becomes large enough to cause a break. Click here to see an assortment of topstitch needles on Amazon, though remember I always encourage you to shop your local quilt shop first -- we need to keep our "clubhouses" in business!
Does it make any difference whether the thread is wound parallel or diagonally on the spool? According to information I received from a thread engineer, no. Thread is wound diagonally on cones not to prevent kinking but to prevent thread from loosening and slipping down on cones. The wide ends of parallel-wound spools accomplish the same purpose, keeping thread from slipping off either end.
Remember, if kinking thread is causing your breaks, they will likely happen right in front of the needle. Next time you find yourself having this problem, check the direction of the thread coming off the spool and see if changing direction makes a difference.
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